Energy commodity prices start to pick up late in Trump’s first year: Of Presidents and Prices – Platts (blog)

For the first time since Donald Trump was inaugurated president, more of the benchmark commodity prices tracked by S&P Global Platts since he took office are now slightly higher than when President Obama left. Until November, most prices had struggled to see their averages match — or surpass — the levels on the last day Obama held the office.

Although fundamentals and a range of other factors influence commodity prices, a group of 11 benchmarks is being monitored by Platts and compared for Trump’s term versus Obama’s.

The price of Dated Brent oil’s running average during the Trump era (January 20-November 30, 2017) is now $53.32/b, compared to $53.31/b on January 19. New York fuel oil’s running average is now at $47.04/b for the January 20-November 30 period, also up a penny from January 19.